Outdoors · Durham
Share Durham, NC parks, trails & bike paths
About 9.4% of Durham is conserved land, roughly 7,219 acres. There are about 82 miles of mapped trails, and the biggest networks are in West Point on the Eno (5.9 mi), Sarah P. Duke Gardens (4.8 mi), and Jordan Game Land (3.4 mi).
Conserved land, trails, parks and bike routes in Durham, measured from OpenStreetMap and USGS data.
At a glance
Share Durham outdoors
Conserved land
9.4%
7,219 of 76,887 acres
Trails
82 mi
0.7 mi per sq mi · 44 on conserved land
Parks & preserves
85
25 conserved acres per 1,000 residents
Bike routes
122.6 mi
67.8 mi lanes · 52.7 mi off-road paths
Conserved land is a share of the whole town area. Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
🏊 Alexan Garrett Farms, Swimming Pool 🏊 Long Meadow Pool 🏊 Magnolia Place Pool 🏊 Parkwood Swimming Pool 🏊 Unnamed public pool 🛝 Bird Observation 🛝 Cardinal Lake Playground 2 🛝 Catch The Wind: Seed Tower 🛝 Catch The Wind: wind cannons 🛝 Catch the Wind 🛝 Dinosaur Trail 🛝 Fossil Dig 🛝 Gateway Park 🛝 Hideaway Woods 🛝 Into The Mist 🛝 Jordan at Southpoint Playground 🛝 Mount Merrill 🛝 Mount Merrill 🛝 Parkwood Hidden Park 🛝 Parkwood Playground 🛝 Sprayground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground in C. M. Herndon Park 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground in Chapel Hill Road Park 🛝 Unnamed playground in Garrett Road Park 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground in Piney Wood Park 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground in Solite Park 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🐕 Bark Park 🐕 Campus Walk Dog Park 🐕 Carolina Arbors Small Dog Park 🐕 Copper Run Dog Park 🐕 Downtown Durham Dog Park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park in Piney Wood Park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park in Morris Green Park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park in Northgate Park 🐕 Unnamed dog park in Northgate Park 🐕 Unnamed dog park in Duke Park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🔭 Unnamed scenic view 🔭 Unnamed scenic view 🔭 Unnamed scenic view ⛰️ Huckleberry Hill 🧺 Unnamed picnic area in Solite Park 🧺 Unnamed picnic area 🧺 Unnamed picnic area 🧺 Unnamed picnic area in Sandy Creek Park 🧺 Unnamed picnic area in Southern Boundaries Park 🧺 Unnamed picnic area in Cook Road Park 🧺 Unnamed picnic area 🧺 Unnamed picnic area 🧺 Unnamed picnic area in Burton Park 🧺 Unnamed picnic area 🧺 Unnamed picnic area 🧺 Unnamed picnic area in Oval Drive Park 🧺 Unnamed picnic area in Walltown Park 🧺 Unnamed picnic area 🧺 Unnamed picnic area in Northgate Park 🧺 Unnamed picnic area in Lakeview Park 🧺 Unnamed picnic area in West Point on the Eno 🧺 Unnamed picnic area in West Point on the Eno 🧺 Unnamed picnic area in Holt School Road Park 🧺 Unnamed picnic area in River Forest Park 🥏 Cornwallis Road Disc Golf Course 🥏 Unnamed disc golf course 🥏 Unnamed disc golf course in Valley Springs Park 🌱 Briggs Avenue Community Garden 🌱 Hub Farm 🌱 Orchard Park Community Garden 🌱 Scrap Exchange Community Garden 🌱 Wild Hearts Garden & Park 🌱 Unnamed community garden 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Show all of Durham
Places to walk
Parks & preserves with trails
Ranked by mapped trail miles. Directions go to the nearest marked trailhead or public parking.
1 West Point on the Eno Managed by Durham Parks & Recreation
400 acres5.9 mi of trail
Eagle Trail South River Trail Mountains-to-Sea Trail Buffalo Trail Laurel Cliffs Nature Trail
🐕 Dog rules not recorded
2 Sarah P. Duke Gardens Park
54 acres4.8 mi of trail
🐕 Dog rules not recorded
3 Jordan Game Land Managed by North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
1,432 acres3.4 mi of trail
🐕 Dogs allowedMapped in OpenStreetMap
221 acres3.3 mi of trail
Laurel Bluffs Trail Sawmill Trail Mountains-to-Sea Trail
🐕 Dog rules not recorded
5 Glennstone Preserve Nature preserve
83 acres2 mi of trail
Heron Way Trail
🐕 Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet Show on map
6 River Forest Park Managed by Durham Parks & Recreation
72 acres1.6 mi of trail
Mountains-to-Sea Trail
🐕 Dog rules not recorded
7 Valley Springs Park Managed by Durham Parks and Recreation
53 acres1.4 mi of trail
🐕 Dog rules not recorded
8 Sandy Creek Park Managed by Durham Parks and Recreation
97 acres1.2 mi of trail
New Hope Extension
🐕 Dog rules not recorded
All 85 parks & preserves
Showing 1–10 of 85 parks & preserves
🌳 West Point on the Eno 400 acres · 5.9 mi of trail · Durham Parks & Recreation
🌳 Sarah P. Duke Gardens 54 acres · 4.8 mi of trail
🌲 Jordan Game Land 1,432 acres · 3.4 mi of trail · North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
🌳 Eno River State Park 221 acres · 3.3 mi of trail
🌲 Glennstone Preserve 83 acres · 2 mi of trail
🌳 River Forest Park 72 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Durham Parks & Recreation
🌳 Valley Springs Park 53 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Durham Parks and Recreation
🌳 Sandy Creek Park 97 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Durham Parks and Recreation
🌳 Rock Quarry Park 45 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Durham Parks & Recreation
🌳 Forest Hills Park 44 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Durham Parks and Recreation
Things to do
Beaches, playgrounds, falls & more
Pick a kind of place for the list, directions, or pins on the map above.
Playgrounds in Durham Show all on map
Showing 1–10 of 50 playgrounds
🛝 Cardinal Lake Playground 2
🛝 Catch The Wind: Seed Tower
🛝 Catch The Wind: wind cannons
151 more unnamed playgrounds are mapped in Durham.
Trails
Named trails
Open to bikes 7.4 mi Unpaved 42.9 mi
Showing 1–10 of 20 trails
Al Buehler Trail 2.9 mi Mountains-to-Sea Trail 2.1 mi Laurel Bluffs Trail 1.8 mi Eagle Trail 1.7 mi New Hope Bottomlands Trail 1.5 mi East Campus Perimeter Path 1.2 mi Sawmill Trail 0.7 mi River Forest Trail 0.7 mi South River Trail 0.6 mi Sally Meyerhoff Fitness Trail 0.6 mi Water
Lakes & rivers
Showing 1–10 of 26 places
Tap a name for directions.
Who protects the land
7,219 conserved acres
Who manages it, from PAD-US. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits
385 ac State natural resources
119 ac Conserved doesn't always mean open to visitors. 231 acres are conservation easements, which are usually private land. Public access isn't recorded for 51 of 176 parcels. The places listed above are parks and preserves people visit.
Biking & sports
Bike routes, courts & fields
Painted or protected bike lanes 67.8 mi Off-road bike paths 52.7 mi Shoulders & shared lanes 2.1 mi
Courts & fields Tennis 234 Baseball 63 Basketball 63 Soccer 56 Pickleball 47 Golf 21 Football 13 Counts include school and college facilities, which aren't always open to the public.
Public lands
The biggest protected places in Durham
From USGS PAD-US: who manages each one and whether visitors are welcome.
Local Conservation Area 2,982 ac State Other or Unknown 1,629 ac Unknown 1,426 ac Local Park 1,206 ac Private Conservation 937 ac
Showing 1–10 of 15 places
Place Managed by Acres Public access
City of Durham Open Space Local Other or Unknown Not recorded 1,597 Access unknown B. Everett Jordan Dam and Lake Unknown Not recorded 1,426 Access unknown New Hope Creek Bottomland Forest Registered Heritage Area State Other or Unknown Not recorded 475 Open Lower New Hope Creek Floodplain Forest and Slopes Registered Heritage Area State Other or Unknown Not recorded 438 Open City of Durham Open Space - West Point Park Local Conservation Area Not recorded 405 Access unknown Duke Forest Private Conservation Not recorded 328 Restricted Little Creek Bottomlands and Slopes Registered Heritage Area State Other or Unknown Not recorded 323 Open Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association Preserve Private Conservation Land trusts & nonprofits 281 Closed Durham County Open Space Local Conservation Area Not recorded 247 Restricted Wake County Open Space Local Other or Unknown Not recorded 226 Access unknown
History
Historic places to visit
Showing 1–10 of 20 places
🏛️ American Tobacco Historic District District
🏛️ Cardinal In Central Park · Monument
🏛️ Imperial Tobacco Building
🏛️ Lowes Grove Elementary School (historical) Building
🏛️ Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice Building
🏛️ Turtle In Central Park · Monument
🏛️ Veteran's Memorial War memorial
Nearby
Share Durham and its neighbors
Towns whose outdoors data has been built so far.
Trail talk
Conditions & tips from neighbors
No recent posts about Durham's trails yet. Muddy, icy, a bridge out, where to park: a quick post helps the next person.
Sources: trails, parks, preserves, courts and bike lanes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), map data as of 2026-09-28. Conserved land: USGS Gap Analysis Project, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) . Measured against the Census town boundary.
How we measure "Trails" are OpenStreetMap paths, bridleways, public tracks and unpaved footways, plus footways inside a park or preserve or on a named trail route. Sidewalks are left out. Areas are counted on a 52.8-meter grid, so overlapping parcels count once. "Conserved" includes conservation easements, which protect land from development but are usually private property. Trailheads are the nearest marked trailhead, public parking lot or information board within about 150 meters of a preserve. Dog rules come from OpenStreetMap when someone has tagged them; otherwise we show what's typical for the land manager, or say the rules aren't recorded.
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